Fleets identify congestion as greatest concern

Fleet and mobility managers have identified road infrastructure, clean air zones and the adoption of alternative fuels as the greatest challenges over the next five years.

This comes from research carried out by the Arval Mobility Observatory, which found that 43% cited a lack of road infrastructure, that could cause increased congestion, as the top issue.

Other major concerns included the introduction of more clean air zones in urban areas was the greatest concern (30%), the implementation of suitable alternative fuel technologies (30%), uncertainty around government policy towards transport (27%), increased vehicle taxation (23%), and increased driver personal taxation (16%).

Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “It’s clear that businesses are thinking very hard about the practicalities surrounding the day-to-day use of cars and vans, as shown in their concerns over road infrastructure and clean air zones.

“The latter especially is a subject that is potentially quite confusing, with a whole range of different measures being adopted across the country and some now being delayed by the coronavirus crisis. Our view is that this complexity is probably at the root of the concerns being reported, because the rules that need to be observed in the majority of cities are quite moderate.”

He said the implementation of alternative fuel technology which, for the vast majority of fleets during the next five years, would mean electric and plug-in cars and vans.

“This is a major shift but our experience is that, for most businesses, the transition turns out to be relatively painless in the real world. Certainly, conditions for adoption get easier all the time.”